By Paul Bean
Vermont Democratic Senator Peter Welch sparked online debate Monday night with a social media post advocating for gun control measures, declaring that preventable gun violence “doesn’t have to be this way.”
In the X post, which has garnered over 76,000 views and nearly 4,000 replies as of Tuesday morning, Welch writes:
“It doesn’t have to be this way. Ban assault weapons.Require background checks on all gun sales.Mandate secure gun storage. We can save so many lives if Republicans work with us.”
The post quickly drew criticism from conservative users, many of whom argued that the measures would infringe on Second Amendment rights or fail to address crime by terrorists and criminals.
Replies accused Democrats of politicizing tragedy and highlighted existing laws, with some users sharing memes and images mocking the proposals.
Prominent conservative accounts amplified the backlash, including comments suggesting gun laws would not deter determined attackers or referencing international examples like Australia’s gun restrictions.
@amuse a conservative account with 600K plus follows replied “The Australians did…” as a reference to a mass shooting in Australia over the weekend where father and son Muslim terrorists carried out a terrorist mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing 15 people (aged 10 to 87) and injuring dozens more in Australia’s deadliest such incident since 1996.
In 1996, Australians banned automatic and semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, implemented strict licensing requiring a “genuine reason” (excluding self-defense), mandatory registration, and a large buyback program, while allowing regulated ownership of other firearms for purposes like farming or sport shooting.
“All weapons are assault weapons,” writes @rebelrancher in response to Welch. “You already have to do a background check through a licensed FFL. You people keep repeating the dumbest talking points that show you literally have zero knowledge of guns.”
Welch, a longtime advocate for gun safety reform, has previously co-sponsored legislation on universal background checks and assault weapons bans.
The post comes amid ongoing national debates over gun violence, though it did not reference a specific incident.
Also over the weekend, a gunman opened fire during a final exam review session at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, killing two students, Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an 18-year-old freshman, and Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore, and injuring nine others.
Rumors have emerged that Cook was targeted for being the Vice President of the Brown University College Republicans and actively promoting conservative views on the predominantly liberal campus.
